Power and possession is the name of the modern game

Antrim v Tipperary - Tailteann Cup analysis

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary’s defeat to Antrim at Corrigan Park was similar in many ways to the outcome of their Tailteann Cup clash at the same venue two years ago.

Looking back on the report from that game in 2024, Antrim’s greater athleticism proved key, and it certainly was again with eleven of the players that featured that day playing some part on Sunday while for Tipperary that number was just seven, of which two were subs that day while experienced Steven O’Brien and Jimmy Feehan were only able to feature off the bench as their return to full fitness is carefully managed.

Their introduction, and that of Paddy Creedon, showed just what Tipperary had been missing for a large part, more power to break through the Antrim rearguard, particularly in the first half when Tipp had a lot of the ball, playing into the breeze, but just didn’t have enough power runners to penetrate until James Morris and Sean O’Connor got their hands on ball to breach the defensive line and result in points from play or winning scoreable frees.

The diminutive Daithi Hogan also had his moments but he really needed support off the shoulder to make full use of his pacey runs.

That physicality was also missing in a defensive sense, although Tipperary would have been very pleased at how they managed the first 25 minutes when Antrim had the benefit of the elements and only trailed 0-2 to 0-4.

However, the final ten minutes of the half proved to be a disaster, starting in the 26th minute when Antrim scored their first goal, the outstanding Ryan McQuillan, a thorn in Tipp’s side on their last visit to Corrigan Park, managed to breach the Tipp defence through the middle and was able to get close to goal to fire past Shane Garland.

In provided the blueprint of how Antrim, a goal hungry team, could get at Tipp and they went at it, although helped by the visitors as well as another break through the middle by McQuillan forced a superb save from Garland for a 45, converted by his opposite number John McNabb.

That score came shortly after Kieran Costello was black carded for an incident at the other end of the field with the Tipp sideline becoming frustrated at the growing inconsistency of referee Conor Dourneen and his officials at not seeing similar incidents.

Trailing 1-5 to 0-3, Tipp would have been content going into the break but the concession of a soft goal on 33 minutes was a huge blow, the Tipp defence caught very short off a break from their own kickout with Paddy McAleer finding McQuillan in acres of space to goal.

Trailing 2-6 to 0-4 at the break, all was not lost as the breeze was significant and when Charlie King pointed and Sean O’Connor converted a two-point free inside five minutes of the resumption, it was game on.

It could have been better as Micheal Freaney was unlucky to see a goal chance strike the butt of the post.

Such was Tipp’s dominance of the aerial ball in the first half, if they managed to break even at least they would have been confident of getting enough ball to create scoring chances but to Antrim’s credit they managed to negate Joe Higgins ability to win the high ball, as well as Paudie Feehan with Pat Shivers a real thorn in that respect.

There was a ten minute period in the middle of the second half when Tipp couldn’t win possession on either kickout which frustrated manager Niall Fitzgerald, particularly their inability to realise it on the field to go short on their own kickout, which they did too late, by which time they hand conceded two further goals to Conor Hand and Ronan Boyle.

By this stage Paddy Creedon, Killian Butler and Steven O’Brien had come into the fray and added much needed energy and power, Creedon scoring two points while Daithi Hogan had the best goal chance saved by McNabb for a 45 which O’Brien converted.

Steven O’Brien managed to drift into space for a clinically finished goal on 65 minutes as Tipp began to show the forward quality they had if they only had more possession to work with, and when Joe Higgins punched a two-point effort from Sean O’Connor to the next to cut the gap to five going into four minutes of added time, a late snatch and grab raid was on.

However, Antrim didn’t panic and closed out the game comfortably leaving Tipp a deservedly beaten team on the day, but well aware their own shortcomings played a key part, ones which can be easily be eradicated and need to be if they are to become a more consistent side, starting with a trip to Wicklow in round 3.